Lawrence beats Venezuelan rival by decision

Lawrence won 40-36, 40-36, 40-36. However, Lawrence’s compatriot Stephanie Allen failed to get the judges nod in her fight against Katherine Genesis. The fight was close up to the final round but Genesis did a little extra before the final bell to eke out the decision. Allen landed some power shots in the early rounds but it was not enough to impress the judges who had her behind 36-40, 38-40, 38- 39. Following her loss, Allen then asked for a rematch and Genesis agreed to the fight in late October. Veteran local boxing administrator and official, Boxu Potts, was pleased with the results but admitted that the time-frame between flight and fights was a bit uncomfortable for both parties.

“I give credit to both fighters for their performance under the condition,” he said.

“There wasn’t enough time to acclimatise. On the day of the fight we had to travel higher up the mountain resulting in Allen and Lawrence having to fight at high altitude. But in life one must learn to make the appropriate adjustment and deal with what’s before you. Sheldon handled the atmosphere much better. When I called upon him to step it up, he dug deep and conjured up enough ‘dog’ as a hungry fighter would.”